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Childhood is a crucial neurodevelopmental period. We investigated whether childhood reading for pleasure (RfP) was related to young adolescent assessments of cognition, mental health, and brain structure. We conducted a cross-sectional and longitudinal study in a large-scale US national cohort (10 000 + young adolescents), using the well-established linear mixed model and structural equation methods for twin study, longitudinal and mediation analyses. A 2-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis for potential causal inference was also performed. Important factors including socio-economic status were controlled. Early-initiated long-standing childhood RfP (early RfP) was highly positively correlated with performance on cognitive tests and significantly negatively correlated with mental health problem scores of young adolescents. These participants with higher early RfP scores exhibited moderately larger total brain cortical areas and volumes, with increased regions including the temporal, frontal, insula, supramarginal; left angular, para-hippocampal; right middle-occipital, anterior-cingulate, orbital areas; and subcortical ventral-diencephalon and thalamus. These brain structures were significantly related to their cognitive and mental health scores, and displayed significant mediation effects. Early RfP was longitudinally associated with higher crystallized cognition and lower attention symptoms at follow-up. Approximately 12 h/week of youth regular RfP was cognitively optimal. We further observed a moderately significant heritability of early RfP, with considerable contribution from environments. MR analysis revealed beneficial causal associations of early RfP with adult cognitive performance and left superior temporal structure. These findings, for the first time, revealed the important relationships of early RfP with subsequent brain and cognitive development and mental well-being.

Across the UK, Reading for Pleasure (RfP) is included in national curricula, yet children’s engagement as readers appears to be declining. Equipping pre-service teachers with the knowledge to develop RfP pedagogy in their classrooms is vital. Previous studies have identified knowledge of diverse children’s literature as central to RfP pedagogy. However, data indicate that teachers and pre-service teachers rely on a narrow childhood canon. Furthermore, in initial teacher training (ITT), developing teachers’ knowledge of children’s literature may be limited to an optional specialism. This study offers a starting point for ITT provision that develops pedagogical content knowledge for RfP. A total of 595 pre-service teachers’ questionnaire responses from 10 UK universities are reported about their expectations of RfP pedagogy and knowledge of children’s literature. Data showed their limited knowledge of children’s authors and illustrators and highlighted striking gaps in their understanding of RfP pedagogy with little difference between student teachers who read regularly or those who rarely read in their free time. Recommendations for new initiatives to address identified gaps in pre-service teachers’ pedagogical content knowledge for RfP are discussed.

This quantitative study investigated upper primary school students' leisure time reading preferences in Fiji. A structured questionnaire was administered to 92 students in Years 7 and 8 of a select school in western Fiji. The findings revealed that the majority of students engaged in leisure reading, with storybooks being the most preferred reading material, followed by newspapers, magazines, online materials and religious texts. Adventure stories emerged as the most popular subgenre, and horror, comedy, romance, and suspense were also preferred by students. The study identified specific titles and authors that captured the students' interest, with J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter series being the most popular. These findings challenge the notion that students do not read during their leisure time and highlight the importance of promoting and supporting reading habits among young learners. The study has significant implications for teachers, parents, and policymakers in promoting literacy and cultivating a love for reading. Teachers can accommodate students’ diverse interests by incorporating a variety of reading materials and genres into educational settings. Parents can encourage reading at home by providing access to books and modelling positive reading habits. Policymakers can support literacy initiatives by investing in well-stocked libraries and promoting community-based reading programmes. By understanding and nurturing students' reading preferences, stakeholders can create an environment that encourages lifelong learning and enhances overall academic achievement. This quantitative study investigated upper primary school students' leisure time reading preferences in Fiji. A structured questionnaire was administered to 92 students in Years 7 and 8 of a select school in western Fiji. The findings revealed that the majority of students engaged in leisure reading, with storybooks being the most preferred reading material, followed by newspapers, magazines, online materials and religious texts. Adventure stories emerged as the most popular subgenre, and horror, comedy, romance, and suspense were also preferred by students. The study identified specific titles and authors that captured the students' interest, with J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter series being the most popular. These findings challenge the notion that students do not read during their leisure time and highlight the importance of promoting and supporting reading habits among young learners. The study has significant implications for teachers, parents, and policymakers in promoting literacy and cultivating a love for reading. Teachers can accommodate students’ diverse interests by incorporating a variety of reading materials and genres into educational settings. Parents can encourage reading at home by providing access to books and modelling positive reading habits. Policymakers can support literacy initiatives by investing in well-stocked libraries and promoting community-based reading programmes. By understanding and nurturing students' reading preferences, stakeholders can create an environment that encourages lifelong learning and enhances overall academic achievement.

Proficiency in literacy provides an essential foundation for citizens to participate fully and effectively in society. Research highlights a strong correlation between frequent reading and strong literacy outcomes for students and emphasises the benefits of a Reading for Pleasure (RfP) pedagogy on student reading motivation and attainment. As teachers are responsible for students’ literate development, the ability to teach literacy and the development of a literate identity thus form integral components of initial teacher education. There are studies revealing the important connection between teachers’ literate identities and their students’ reading engagement and literacy outcomes; however, less is known about the formation of pre-service teachers’ literate identities. This case study sought to investigate the impact of pre-service teacher engagement with Reading for Pleasure practices as they reflected on their literate identities. During the study, four student teachers in their final year of a Bachelor of Education (Primary) degree in an urban university in NSW, Australia, met weekly for six weeks to engage with Reading for Pleasure practices. Data were collected through participant observation notes, focus group discussions, and a questionnaire completed at the start and the end of the study. This study was informed with a consideration of complexity theory, and an analysis was made of participant’s reflections on RfP, as expressed through the intersecting systems within which initial teacher education is situated. Framed by the understanding that knowledge is socially constructed, this paper outlines how participants found benefit in Reading for Pleasure in forming their literate identities.

Concern about student wellbeing and related mental health is a global issue, and schools are increasingly expected to support student wellbeing. While the focus on libraries and wellbeing in research is more commonly on public libraries, school libraries can also play an important supportive role in this regard. Robust research evidence is needed from school library contexts to support targeted advocacy in order to enhance student wellbeing. This paper explores how school libraries may support student wellbeing by operating as safe spaces for young people, promoting and resourcing mental health and wellbeing initiatives, and supporting and promoting bibliotherapeutic practices and reading for pleasure. It then highlights implications for future research to support the development of a sound, research-supported evidence base for advocacy moving forward.

Background: South Africans are widely perceived as not being a reading nation. For many South African children, their first encounter with books and stories occurs when they formally enter the schooling system. This raises the question of how teachers understand their role as reading role models.Objectives: This article aims to investigate how pre-service teachers who are registered at an open distance learning institution evaluate their reading habits.Method: The study employed phenomenography as a research design. All students registered for the Children’s Literature module in 2023 were invited to participate in the study. The submissions of a formal forum discussion assessment of students who agreed to participate in the study were analysed and arranged in themes and codes using Atlas.ti.Results: The article shows that most students perceive themselves as readers, though for varied reasons. The findings suggest the rejection of a monolithic definition of a reader identity. Instead, the notion of categories of readers provides more valuable information for understanding reading behaviour and reader identities.Conclusion: This study confirmed that pre-service teachers are aware of the benefits of reading, though their actions to improve their reading ability, are inadequate.Contribution: Since pre-service teacher training is arguably an important opportunity for addressing the literacy crisis, the findings of this study emphasise the important role of teachers as reading role models. 

Background: South Africa’s long-standing reading crisis is well recognised. At various stages since 2000, national government has presented the inculcation of a culture of reading as a solution to this crisis. Objectives: This article critically interrogated the term ‘culture of reading’ as used in national government discourse with reference to basic education. By tracing the patterns of use of the term since 2000, it aimed to show the shifts and continuities in the government’s understanding of the term ‘culture of reading’ and how this has shaped the reading landscape. Method: Drawn from a corpus of 331 texts, a sample of 58 texts produced by national government was analysed. Employing discourse and thematic analysis, key themes were extrapolated and their relation to reading within South Africa was explored. Results: The government’s call for a culture of reading occurs predominantly in response to poor literacy results and at launches of campaigns and strategies focused on addressing these results. This occurs repeatedly without clear delineation of the term or justification for recycling failed initiatives. Instead, the term acts as a rhetorical tool to obfuscate the unsuccessful implementation of reading programmes. Conclusion: The government’s failure to clarify what constitutes a culture of reading prohibits a clear picture of its understanding of the term. The frequency with which ‘culture of reading’ is promoted indicates a failure to consider alternative approaches to addressing the reading crisis. Contribution: This article highlights the need for government to re-evaluate its response to the reading crisis, taking cognisance of the South African context.

In this study we discuss the value of videos editing designed to enhance reading comprehension in students from the Faculty of Teacher Training of the University of Valencia. First, we present the role of reading for pleasure by summarizing research findings related with multimedia and reading comprehension. In the following part, we describe the methodology with 80 students from 3 different grades which participate in our study. Our results show the positive impact of creating videos in understanding the value of visual literacy in the classroom and the important role of reading for pleasure. Finally, we present the lack of mechanisms of digital video for some students without background knowledge in digital literacy and problem solving in technology.

Research has indicated that students with more positive attitudes toward reading for pleasure tend to read more often, leading to higher reading achievement. As Greece is a country with below-average reading achievement in all PISA assessment cycles and with very limited related nationally representative research available, it is deemed important to examine factors related to attitudes toward reading for pleasure in Greece and explore any relation to reading achievement. Therefore, the present study, with the use of multilevel modelling analysis of the most recent relevant PISA database, examines factors related to fifteen-year-old students’ attitudes toward reading for pleasure in Greece, focusing on reading achievement, gender, and socioeconomic status (SES). Findings indicated that there is a positive relation between students’ reading for pleasure attitudes and their reading achievement, as well as a weak but positive relation between reading for pleasure attitudes and SES. In addition, boys were found with more negative attitudes toward reading than girls, even after controlling for reading achievement. The present study offers valuable insights for policy and practice and suggests that the promotion of reading as a meaningful recreational activity should constitute a major focus on behalf of parents, teachers, schools and government.

This study focused on investigating reading for pleasure among Junior high school students. The research methodology adopted for the study was the case study approach. A total number of 93 respondents comprising 87 Students, 5 Teachers and 1 Headteacher participated in the study. Questionnaires were administered to solicit information from the respondents, whilst an interview schedule was used for the Teachers and Headteacher of the school. The findings suggested that majority of the respondents do not read for pleasure, they only engage in reading primarily to pass their examinations and not so much for their personal development, fun, or to be well informed. It was also found that the total time spent on reading daily by most of the respondents was between 1-2 hours. The research findings also showed that majority of the respondents consider television viewing as a serious drawback to their engagement in leisure reading. Some of the suggestions that the study offered for promoting reading for pleasure among students were that the schools need to implement reading promotion programmes that will make reading an experience that is actively sought out by students. The researcher also suggested that a functional school library should be set up within the basic educational system; that should be well-equipped with the necessary resources to serve the reading needs of the children. The school library should create a conducive environment for reading that can make the children feel at home to engage in reading for pleasure activities.